Jiguignouma (Bon Espoir) Group

The seven women of the Jiguignouma group are all married; they have an average age of 35 and on average, 3 children. They live in big traditional extended families in the Hamdallaye district of the town of Koutiala (Sikasso region, Republic of Mali). They know each other because they are neighbors. They work in the same trade, dyeing and selling clothing (made out of "bazin" a kind of damask); they also do hairdressing and are very much in demand. Hairdressing is done every morning at home on the request of their clientele.

In order to satisfy the needs of their ever-growing clientele, the Jiguignouma group decided to join the micro-finance institution Soro Yiriwaso with whom they are on their third solidarity loan (group loan). Both the preceding loans were correctly reimbursed.

They intend to use this loan to buy lengths of "bazin" wholesale in Bamako (the capital of the Republic of Mali) as well as dyes, etc. The dyed "bazin" is sold retail in the market in Koutiala.

They each hope to make an average profit of 110,000 F CFA over the course of this loan cycle, which will be used to repay the loan and cover the expenses of their extended families, investing any remainder in their businesses. Their ambition is to diversify their businesses by taking up other income-generating activities such as opening a beauty salon.

Additional Information

Important Information

Soro Yiriwaso is a microfinance institution that works primarily in rural and semi-urban areas of Mali to provide underprivileged communities with access to financial services.The organization facilitates access for disadvantaged clients, particularly women, to new resources and services, fostering solidarity and cooperation among its clients. Kiva lenders’ funds will enable Soro Yiriwaso to expand its outreach and target even more underserved Malians involved in business and agriculture.

This is a Group Loan

In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.

Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.